


Fever dream

by FallenFurther



Series: FabFiveFebruary2020 [5]
Category: Thunderbirds
Genre: Fever, Fever Dreams, Gen, Light-Hearted, Odd, References to Thunderbirds, Stargazing, Stars, Thunder and Lightning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-13
Updated: 2020-03-13
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:26:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23110162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FallenFurther/pseuds/FallenFurther
Summary: Written for @gumnut's FabFiveFeb challenge.John is in a strange place but EOS is there to help him.Prompts: Lightening, “Where?”, soft caress, paper, concrete
Relationships: EOS/John Tracy
Series: FabFiveFebruary2020 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1627462
Kudos: 14





	Fever dream

A piece of paper fluttered in the strong breeze. John watched the old sun-bleached poster as it tried to escape its prison. It was pinned to the concrete floor by an old bicycle, its tyres long deflated and joints rusted. A few steps and he was standing over it. The wind was whipping his hair across his face and he occasionally had to blink the strands from his eyes. He knelt down and rescued the paper. He held it tight, trying not to lose or damage it in the wind, and tried to read the faded words. It took a moment, but he managed to make out the image of a big top tent. An old circus poster. John smiled at the flapping paper, revelling in the way at pulled against him and slapped his skin. Then he let it go. He turned and watched as the wind took it deeper into the abandoned industrial site. It danced through the air, twisting as it hit the ground. The sight filled John with contentment. 

"That's littering." 

The young familiar female voice startled him. John turned sharply to face the small ginger haired girl. Her hair was tied up in two little buns, one on each side, though a few loose curls fluttered in the wind around her face. The navy-blue dress, speckled with small white stars, barely reached her knees. Her bare feet were placed firmly on the concrete and John couldn't help but wonder if it hurt. What stopped John in his tracks was the way her big green eyes looked up into his with an expression of loving curiosity. Her gaze was thirsty for knowledge and John was compelled to oblige. 

"It is." John stated, not quite sure why such an atrocious act didn't feel wrong. He knew he should be ashamed of himself, but he just couldn't be. It had felt so right. 

"Why did you do it?" EOS blinked at him. The action was so familiar, yet John couldn't place where from. 

"I don't know." John replied. "We have to go." 

The urge to leave overcame John and he closed the space between them in seconds. He crouched down before the girl and offered his back. 

"Get on."

"Why?" EOS asked. John looked at her over his shoulder. 

"Because you have no shoes on. We can't have you walking barefoot out here. You'll hurt your feet."

John watched EOS tilt her head and think. Her little nose scrunched up slightly making the freckles on her cheeks dance. After a blink she smiled. It lit up her face and made her eyes sparkle, and John mirrored it. She stepped forward and placed her arms around John's neck. John slipped his arms under her legs and stood, causing her to jump up his back a little. The giggle that filled his right ear was priceless. He turned into the wind and carried EOS away from the industrial park. The wind tried to slow him down, and EOS had to told on tight, but he slowly made his way down the street. The sky above them slowly darkened. The wind started to die down as the first stars filled the sky. John looked up as he walked, forgetting that he should be watching his feet since he was carrying precious cargo. But the night sky always called to John and it was irresistible. His eyes darted over the small spots, looking for the familiar patterns he knows he'll find there. 

"The Southern Cross is out."

"Where!?" EOS exclaimed and John felt her weight shift as she searched the sky for it. He stopped; a grin plastered on his face. Her enthusiasm reminded him of a young Alan, and it brought back happy memories of stargazing with him. John shifted EOS so he could free his arm and pointed up at the constellation. 

"It's right there." 

"There?" EOS reached up her arm up pointing at the False Cross. John carefully grabbed her arm and guided it over the Southern Cross. 

"That star is the top, called Gacrux. That star is the bottom, called Acrux. That is Mimosa and drawing a line across to Imai, makes the cross. The Southern Cross can be used to find South, by following the cross like this, and it points to this star which is always South." 

"Wow!" 

John turned his head to see the wonder in her face. It felt so right being here with her. She was his. And the sky was theirs. He pointed out a few more constellations until EOS started to fidget. He let her slip off his back and soon she was running around in the grass. 

When had they come to grass?

It baffled John. It felt like his mind was messing with him. He shook his head and looked up in time to see EOS do a cartwheel. Her merriment filled his heart and covered up some of his unease, and when she grinned at him, it was all but forgotten. 

"Did you see that?"

"Yes, I did. It was brilliant, EOS!" John chuckled. Her face lit up with joy as she ran at him, ploughing into his body and wrapping her arms around him in a hug. John's body rocked as he steadied himself. She gazed up at him with love. 

"I'm fast, aren't I?" 

"Very."

"I'm faster than lightning!"

John chuckled. "I don't think you're that fast, but you're definitely faster than me!"

EOS's smile became a yawn, and John knew what to do. It was time for bed, it was late after all. He crouched again and pulled her into him. Instinctively, she wrapped her legs behind him. 

"Let's get you to bed."

John carried EOS away from the grass towards their home. He took so much comfort from having her near. Her head rested on his shoulder and her warm body took away the cool of the evening air. Soon they were in their room. She slipped from his body and stretched, yawning deeply in the process. Her yawn set him off. He helped her into her nightie, a white dress covered in a silver vector pattern. EOS then handed him his pyjamas. He pulled on the NASA top and grey jogging bottoms. EOS smiled at him and climbed into the double bed. John held up the quilt and she slipped under it. He joined her and they lay face to face. 

"Goodnight John." 

"Goodnight EOS"

John gazed into the face of EOS through heavy eyelids. She didn't look sleepy at all, though he felt exhausted. Instead her little hand came up and stroked his cheek. The soft caress was all it took to soothe John to sleep. 

***

John could still feel the touch of a hand on his face, but it didn't feel the same. This hand was larger and coming from a different angle. He tried to open his eyes, but the light hurt. The hand stoked his cheek and he felt a cold wet thing being placed on his forehead. John groaned. 

"It's okay, John. It's just a bad fever." His grandmother's voice came from somewhere near him. 

John groaned again and closed his eyes. He focused on the cold feeling on his head. His body ached. Slowly his focus on the cold flannel slipped away as he drifted off to sleep again. He warmed at the idea of seeing EOS again.


End file.
